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Last week I wrote about our family tradition of buying my Pop-Pop soap on a rope, Old Spice, and Hickory Farms gift baskets for Christmas. So now that everything’s half price at the mall…might I suggest picking up a basket for Super Bowl snacking? Sure when I think Hickory Farms, I usually think of beef sticks and cheese. And it’s true. You want summer sausage? Hickory Farms’ Signature Summer Sausage was recently rated the number one Summer Sausage in America, winning the Masters of Taste Gold Medal for Superior Taste, in 2011. And let me tell you, when we broke it out for dinner on Christmas Eve, it was absolutely delicious.

But what I was surprised to discover upon surfing the Hickory Farms site, is that Hickory Farms offers a wide variety of delicious gourmet food baskets that would be a great accompaniment to any elegant winter event. Say…your 2013 Super Bowl party?

The gorgeous Hickory Holiday Cheer Basket, for example, comes with the classic summer sausage, but also shortbread, cheddar cheese, salted pistachios and a bottle of Bogle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Fancy, no? You see where I’m going here. I can eat nachos and seven layer taco dip when called upon. But a gourmet basket like this would be a hit with both Doc Hubby and me on Superbowl Sunday when let’s hope I’ll be watching that cute Tom Brady run around in tight pants…I mean, when his beloved Pats hopefully will be vying for a ring.

Until very recently I also wasn’t aware of the wonderful ways in which Hickory Farms is giving back–during the holidays and throughout the year. For each Party Planner Gift Box sold this holiday season, Hickory Farms donated $5 to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. To date, the donations total more than 1.9 million dollars. Hickory Farms also has a partnership with Operation Gratitude – a national nonprofit that creates care packages for military men and women and their families. And this holiday season they have offered free shipping to military APO and FPO addresses on eight of their products, including their box of Colossal Cashews. Yum!

My Pop-Pop was a minister. He lived his life in service of others. How wonderful to discover that without even knowing it, our traditional Christmas gift to him was a gift that gave back.

Disclaimer:Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms.